Coffee, Caffeine Improve Endurance Performance Equally

In study, both improve cycling time trial result by about 5%.

Runners have long looked to coffee for a performance boost. (Or at least that's been their rationalization for having another cup.) At the same time, many sport-energy products incorporate caffeine. All of which raises the question: Is it the coffee or the caffeine in the coffee that delivers the benefit?

A new study published in the online journal PLos One sought to answer that question.

British researchers had eight cyclists do an easy 30-minute ride, followed by a 45-minute time trial on four occasions, with one week between rides. One hour before each ride, the cyclists drank coffee, a beverage containing the same amount of caffeine as the coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or a non-coffee, non-caffeinated drink. (From the suffering-for-science department, it should be noted that the coffee was Nescafe Original instant coffee.)

On the rides that were preceded by caffeiniated coffee or the caffeinated beverage, the cyclists performed much better: 4.9% faster after having the caffeinated beverage, and 4.7% faster after having caffeinated coffee, compared to when they drank decaffeinated coffee or the other drink.

This is good news for runners because of the greater options the findings imply. If you can't stomach coffee soon before a long, hard run, then you should be able to get an equivalent performance boost from caffeine.

This study's findings shouldn't be confused with those of a study we reported on last week. The results of that earlier study suggested that the totality of elements in coffee, rather than just caffeine, explains coffee's positive effects on cognitive ability. The cycling study looked at coffee's and caffeine's effect on a different matter, sustained, high-end aerobic exercise.